Former political prisoner Aliaksandr Malchanau walks free

Aliaksandr Malchanau was released on 13 July at 6.00 from the colony in Nasady, reports Radio Svaboda.

Aliaksandr Malchanau took part in street protests against election rigging on December 19, 2010. He was sentenced to three years in a high-security prison. He was released on September 14, 2011.

In the summer of 2012, Malchanau was found guilty of stealing scrap metal from a factory in Zhodzina and sentenced to 1.5 years in jail. While collecting scrap, the young man entered the unguarded premises of the factory where he was detained. He said later he was collecting metal scrap, because he could not find a job and earn his living by doing something else.

Photo: RFE/RL